Boy goes minimalist

MANILA, Philippines -  Boy Abunda admits he used to be far from minimalist. Like his high-profile personality, Boy doesn’t lean towards the subdued. Thus, he’s into exotic masks which he started collecting since his theater days. The interior of his house is an outburst of colors that mirrors his just as vivacious character.

But now, Boy admits he has to tone down a bit. He has to try the minimalist lifestyle. From living in a sprawling Batangas rest house where the space is big and the air is as ample as the trees growing all around, Boy is scaling down.

He’s trying condominium living for the first time. The change is not a paltry ninety degrees. It’s a whopping 180 degrees, where the furniture is sparse, the ambiance, Zen-like.

Reason: Boy is moving in at the Cherry Orchard Suites, an eight-storey condominium located at the vicinity of Congressional Ave., Quezon City. It’s right behind Cherry Foodarama, thus the name Cherry Orchard.

Like most of his new neighbors, Boy will move in his two-bedroom unit January next year. By that time, Gwendolyn Wong’s LK Global Realty and Development Corp. would have turned over the units to its rightful owners.

“It will be my silent sanctuary,” Boy relates. “It will be a place where I go, not to talk, which is strange. Instead, I will communicate with my spirit.”

The Zen-inspired interiors of the units will come in handy. So too, will the quiet neighborhood and the round-the-clock security.

But if a Boy Abunda can afford to buy a unit at Cherry Orchard Suites, can Juan dela Cruz do so, too?

Boy has a quick reply.

“A newly-married cameraman in ABS-CBN already bought a one-bedroom unit.”

The terms, obviously are within his reach: P9,000 monthly or P300 a day. One may also pay through Pag-ibig or bank financing.

 “More and more people now realize building a home comes ahead of everything,” Boy observes. And no amount of recession will keep them from stashing money away for one of the three basic needs: shelter.

That’s why Wong’s company is in a building mood. It will come up with a three-tower project in Manila, located at the center of 26 universities and 12 hospitals. One tower will be a condominium hotel for students. Another is the Treasure Towers in Sta. Ana, which will house the Museum of Chinese Antiquities, thanks to a tie-up with what else, China no less.

That’s optimism with a capital O for you. And Boy, in catching it, hopes to infect others — especially the Pinoy padre de familia who dreams big for his loved ones.